6 worked Bookkeeping Workflow Automation case studies — the position a client typically comes to us with, what we do, and what it is worth. Each is an illustrative example built on the rules that apply to bookkeeping workflow automation work, not a specific client's file.
Case Study 1 · Objection and relief
Notice Of Objection Allowed In Full, $121,000 Reversed — Courier Subcontractor, Edmonton
Client: A courier subcontractor paid by the drop · Where: Edmonton, Alberta · Engagement: 4 weeks, fixed fee
Amount reversed$121,000
ObjectionAllowed in full
Account balanceNil
The situation — A courier subcontractor paid by the drop, Edmonton, Alberta
A courier subcontractor paid by the drop in Edmonton, Alberta had been reassessed for $121,000 and had 12 days left on the objection deadline. The reassessment rested on a bookkeeping file where owner draws, payroll and supplier payments all landed in the same account.
What we did for A courier subcontractor paid by the drop, Edmonton, Alberta
We filed the objection inside the deadline with a complete submission rather than a placeholder, and separated the owner’s personal spending out of the corporate accounts and cleared the resulting shareholder loan properly.
The result — A courier subcontractor paid by the drop, Edmonton, Alberta
The appeals officer allowed the objection in full. $121,000 was reversed and the account returned to a nil balance.
Case Study 2 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $765,000 Less Tax On Closing — Residential Cleaning Franchise, Halifax
Client: A residential cleaning franchise · Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia · Engagement: 9 weeks, fixed fee
Tax saved on closing$765,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
The situation — A residential cleaning franchise, Halifax, Nova Scotia
A residential cleaning franchise in Halifax, Nova Scotia was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced retained cash well above what the business needed to operate, which would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
What we did for A residential cleaning franchise, Halifax, Nova Scotia
We cleaned up the historical file, rebuilt the ledger from bank and card statements, matched every receipt to a transaction, and removed duplicated input tax credits before they became a review, and prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
The result — A residential cleaning franchise, Halifax, Nova Scotia
The deal closed at the agreed price. $765,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 3 · Scaling without breaking
Growth Handled Without A Missed Filing, $39,500 Freed — Multi-Processor Online Seller, Regina
Client: An online seller reconciling three payment processors · Where: Regina, Saskatchewan · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Cash freed$39,500
Compliance failuresNone
ReportingMonthly
The situation — An online seller reconciling three payment processors, Regina, Saskatchewan
An online seller reconciling three payment processors in Regina, Saskatchewan was opening in a second province — different filing obligations, a different payroll regime, and three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement already in the file.
What we did for An online seller reconciling three payment processors, Regina, Saskatchewan
We converted the foreign-currency purchases at transaction-date rates and recorded the exchange difference at settlement instead of burying it in cost of sales and put monthly reporting in place so the owner could see the cash effect of growth while there was still time to act on it.
The result — An online seller reconciling three payment processors, Regina, Saskatchewan
Growth was absorbed without a compliance failure. $39,500 of cash was released, and the monthly reporting now flags a problem while it is still small.
Case Study 4 · Records and systems rebuilt
Books Rebuilt From Source, $9,500 In Unclaimed Input Tax Found — Equipment Rental Yard, Moncton
Client: An equipment rental yard · Where: Moncton, New Brunswick · Engagement: 10 weeks, fixed fee
Unclaimed tax found$9,500
Records rebuilt31 months
ProcessDocumented
The situation — An equipment rental yard, Moncton, New Brunswick
An equipment rental yard in Moncton, New Brunswick could not answer basic questions about its own numbers, because a payroll clearing account that had never been brought to zero, carrying a balance nobody could explain sat between the bank statements and the ledger.
What we did for An equipment rental yard, Moncton, New Brunswick
We rebuilt sales from the processor settlement reports so gross sales, fees and refunds each landed in an account of their own, then documented the process so the work does not depend on any one person remembering how it was done.
The result — An equipment rental yard, Moncton, New Brunswick
Records rebuilt and reconciled, $9,500 recovered in input tax credits that the old file could not support, and a documented monthly process now in place.
Case Study 5 · Structure rebuilt
Reorganisation Completed Tax-Deferred, $18,000 Saved Each Year — Two-Location Cafe, Toronto
The situation — A two-location cafe, Toronto, Ontario
A two-location cafe in Toronto, Ontario had outgrown the structure it started with. A receivables list that included invoices collected eleven months earlier was the immediate problem; the longer-term one was that the structure blocked the next step.
What we did for A two-location cafe, Toronto, Ontario
We mapped the current structure, modelled the target, and reconciled receivables and payables to source documents and wrote off the balances that were genuinely uncollectible, with support — with the tax-deferred elections filed on time and the supporting valuations documented.
The result — A two-location cafe, Toronto, Ontario
The reorganisation completed without triggering tax, and the new structure saves approximately $18,000 a year while removing the exposure the old one carried.
Case Study 6 · Missed incentive claimed
$50,000 Credit Claim Filed And Accepted Without Adjustment — Wedding Photography Studio, Ottawa
Client: A wedding photography studio · Where: Ottawa, Ontario · Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee
Claim value$50,000
AcceptedWithout adjustment
RepeatableAnnually
The situation — A wedding photography studio, Ottawa, Ontario
A wedding photography studio in Ottawa, Ontario assumed the credits did not apply to a business its size. Three years of returns filed off numbers nobody could trace back to a bank statement meant they had applied all along.
What we did for A wedding photography studio, Ottawa, Ontario
We identified the qualifying activity, built the documentation to support it, and set up a documented chart of accounts, a receipt-capture workflow and a monthly reconciliation that closes within ten days of month-end.
The result — A wedding photography studio, Ottawa, Ontario
$50,000 recovered. Because the eligibility analysis is on file, the same claim can be repeated each year with a fraction of the effort.
Reviewed for the 2025 tax year by Udit Gupta, Founder and Tax Accountant. These case studies are illustrative worked examples composed from the CRA rules that apply to this type of work, not specific client files; figures are representative and outcomes depend on your own facts.
